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Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Terminator Salvation (2009) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019
In the year 2018, humans are resisting the machines Skynet created called terminators. John Connor is the man who is destined to lead the resistance. Everything John Connor knows is turned inside out when he comes across Marcus Wright. Marcus was put to death by lethal injection in 2003 for killing his brother and two cops yet here he stands today. When an all out assualt by John's superiors is declared on Skynet, John finds out that Kyle Reese (the man who would eventually become his father) has been captured and will be caught in the blast, he knows his only choice is to join forces with Marcus, rescue the human prisoners, and bring Skynet down.
Christian Bale may have been the biggest disappointment in this film. After everyone heard the sound clip of him blowing up on set at a cinematographer, everybody kind of wondered if Bale's success was getting to his head. Well, it just might have. That clip seemed to run through my mind an awful lot throughout the duration of the film. My biggest complaint was that John Connor yelled the majority of the time, even when there was no reason to. When he did talk normally, he used his Batman voice. It just didn't seem to fit since Bale is more than capable of altering his accent (Harsh Times, Rescue Dawn, The Prestige). It's an issue that was bound to come up eventually, but just didn't really click until now.
The other weak link of the film had to be the dialogue. It is incredibly cheesy at times. At the beginning of the film, one of John Connor's superiors yells, "You tell those men to respond, even if they're dead!" It just seemed to be over the top more often than not. While the dialogue was a bit on the atrocious side, the story did have one interesting element going for it. The entire film revolves around this element and is really the only new factor brought in to the Terminator franchise. While the film had its low points, I kept thinking that the film at least had this going for it. Then the ending rolled around and just completely dropped the ball.
With all the negative components of the film, there are still quite a few pieces of the puzzle that are worth mentioning. The action scenes are beyond superb. The camera always seems to be in the right spot at the right time and it isn't too close, which is a definite plus. It seems to be too close during action sequences and fighting scenes in most films these days and most of the action gets lost in the shuffle (Transformers is a good example). Being able to see everything without wondering what happened to this character or that character is a nice change. Something that should definitely happen more often. The entire scene with The Harvester is pretty phenomenal. There are also quite a few throwbacks to the first two films of the franchise. "Come with me if you want to live," and, "I'll be back," are both used in the film, Kyle Reese uses his signature weapon, a sawn off shotgun, Marcus Wright knocks the windshield out of the wrecking truck in a similar fashion the T-1000 did with the diesel in T2, John Connor cocking a gun and firing at a T-800 while being wounded much like Sarah Connor did with the T-1000 while being wounded in T2, and I'm sure quite a few more that I missed.
Sam Worthington should be getting all the attention Christian Bale is for this film. He actually makes you care about Marcus Wright despite what he's done in the past. The way he portrays his emotions and how he's done these horrible things yet is a decent guy deep down inside just makes you want to root for him. Anton Yelchin also deserves a mention. His version of Kyle Reese is pretty much spot on with how you'd imagine a younger version of Kyle Reese to act. His mannerisms, the way he talks, everything. He nailed it.
The sound was also spectacular. Sounds of huge terminators echoed off the walls and made the ground shake, helicoptor blades seemed to chop through the air in violent strokes, motorcycles screeched from one side of the theater to the other to sound like they were going right by you, and you could feel the area around you rumble whenever there was a huge explosion. The sound is definitely a huge aspect of an action film and it really delivered here.
Terminator: Salvation is worth seeing, but being a fan of the franchise and having high expectations may leave you walking away in disappointment. The film doesn't really elaborate on the war between humans and machines or really add anything to the franchise, when all is said and done. If you can somehow remember the first two films yet not compare this sequel with them while ignoring plot holes, Christian Bale's over the top performance, and cheesy dialogue, then you may be able to enjoy Terminator: Salvation to its full extent. But if you're looking for a great action film that fails to expand the Terminator mythos in any way, shape, or form, then this film delivers.
Christian Bale may have been the biggest disappointment in this film. After everyone heard the sound clip of him blowing up on set at a cinematographer, everybody kind of wondered if Bale's success was getting to his head. Well, it just might have. That clip seemed to run through my mind an awful lot throughout the duration of the film. My biggest complaint was that John Connor yelled the majority of the time, even when there was no reason to. When he did talk normally, he used his Batman voice. It just didn't seem to fit since Bale is more than capable of altering his accent (Harsh Times, Rescue Dawn, The Prestige). It's an issue that was bound to come up eventually, but just didn't really click until now.
The other weak link of the film had to be the dialogue. It is incredibly cheesy at times. At the beginning of the film, one of John Connor's superiors yells, "You tell those men to respond, even if they're dead!" It just seemed to be over the top more often than not. While the dialogue was a bit on the atrocious side, the story did have one interesting element going for it. The entire film revolves around this element and is really the only new factor brought in to the Terminator franchise. While the film had its low points, I kept thinking that the film at least had this going for it. Then the ending rolled around and just completely dropped the ball.
With all the negative components of the film, there are still quite a few pieces of the puzzle that are worth mentioning. The action scenes are beyond superb. The camera always seems to be in the right spot at the right time and it isn't too close, which is a definite plus. It seems to be too close during action sequences and fighting scenes in most films these days and most of the action gets lost in the shuffle (Transformers is a good example). Being able to see everything without wondering what happened to this character or that character is a nice change. Something that should definitely happen more often. The entire scene with The Harvester is pretty phenomenal. There are also quite a few throwbacks to the first two films of the franchise. "Come with me if you want to live," and, "I'll be back," are both used in the film, Kyle Reese uses his signature weapon, a sawn off shotgun, Marcus Wright knocks the windshield out of the wrecking truck in a similar fashion the T-1000 did with the diesel in T2, John Connor cocking a gun and firing at a T-800 while being wounded much like Sarah Connor did with the T-1000 while being wounded in T2, and I'm sure quite a few more that I missed.
Sam Worthington should be getting all the attention Christian Bale is for this film. He actually makes you care about Marcus Wright despite what he's done in the past. The way he portrays his emotions and how he's done these horrible things yet is a decent guy deep down inside just makes you want to root for him. Anton Yelchin also deserves a mention. His version of Kyle Reese is pretty much spot on with how you'd imagine a younger version of Kyle Reese to act. His mannerisms, the way he talks, everything. He nailed it.
The sound was also spectacular. Sounds of huge terminators echoed off the walls and made the ground shake, helicoptor blades seemed to chop through the air in violent strokes, motorcycles screeched from one side of the theater to the other to sound like they were going right by you, and you could feel the area around you rumble whenever there was a huge explosion. The sound is definitely a huge aspect of an action film and it really delivered here.
Terminator: Salvation is worth seeing, but being a fan of the franchise and having high expectations may leave you walking away in disappointment. The film doesn't really elaborate on the war between humans and machines or really add anything to the franchise, when all is said and done. If you can somehow remember the first two films yet not compare this sequel with them while ignoring plot holes, Christian Bale's over the top performance, and cheesy dialogue, then you may be able to enjoy Terminator: Salvation to its full extent. But if you're looking for a great action film that fails to expand the Terminator mythos in any way, shape, or form, then this film delivers.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Dead Sexy Dragon (Dragon Heat, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
I recently went back to NetGalley after a long duration and saw this was still sitting on my shelf. About two and a half years later. Oops. I sent it to my Kindle again and was surprised to see it show up. I figured it was high time I read and reviewed the story. Luckily it's about novella length, maybe shorter, so I thought it'd be fast and easy.
<b>Dead Sexy Dragon</b> is the first book in a paranormal series featuring shape-shifting (you guessed it!) dragons. Cora's the heroine fleeing from some trouble to her late brother's best friend and old Marine buddy, Stig Wyvern (I see what you did thar). Unfortunately for the both of them, it's his time of the month. Just kidding, but he goes through a nine-day period every three years where he's in heat. Sadly it's not called <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Pon_farr"; target="_blank">pon farr</a>.
<IMG src="http://rs32.pbsrc.com/albums/d6/satilanna/spock_pon_farr_by_monicaaofthesand_zps9ne2inv0.png?w=480&h=480&fit=clip">;
Anywho, they've been hot for each other for years but neither of them knows it. Naturally. Pretty soon, like the next day, they have loads of sex after she finds out he's a dragon. The sexual interactions take up around 40% of the book and treads the line between romance and erotica. Some stuff happens that I don't want to give away, but Cora ends up in peril, and then Stig. It's a romance so obviously you know how it ends.
The story is pretty rushed, and the first couple of pages were a bit rough, but there are some interesting ideas here, so I just might pick up the next book and see where it's going. In the end, it didn't rock my socks, but it was an entertaining way to spend an hour or so.
Received from Netgalley for review.
<b>Dead Sexy Dragon</b> is the first book in a paranormal series featuring shape-shifting (you guessed it!) dragons. Cora's the heroine fleeing from some trouble to her late brother's best friend and old Marine buddy, Stig Wyvern (I see what you did thar). Unfortunately for the both of them, it's his time of the month. Just kidding, but he goes through a nine-day period every three years where he's in heat. Sadly it's not called <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Pon_farr"; target="_blank">pon farr</a>.
<IMG src="http://rs32.pbsrc.com/albums/d6/satilanna/spock_pon_farr_by_monicaaofthesand_zps9ne2inv0.png?w=480&h=480&fit=clip">;
Anywho, they've been hot for each other for years but neither of them knows it. Naturally. Pretty soon, like the next day, they have loads of sex after she finds out he's a dragon. The sexual interactions take up around 40% of the book and treads the line between romance and erotica. Some stuff happens that I don't want to give away, but Cora ends up in peril, and then Stig. It's a romance so obviously you know how it ends.
The story is pretty rushed, and the first couple of pages were a bit rough, but there are some interesting ideas here, so I just might pick up the next book and see where it's going. In the end, it didn't rock my socks, but it was an entertaining way to spend an hour or so.
Received from Netgalley for review.
Derek Cianfrance recommended The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964) in Movies (curated)
Wyrd and Other Derelictions
7.3
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Derelictions are horror stories told in ways you may not have encountered before. Something is...
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The Nursery (The Bayou Hauntings #3) in Books
May 22, 2019
A house that sat empty for fifty years as its dead owner instructed. A locked room with no key. A single father with eight-year-old twin girls. A nursery from long, long ago that no child ever played in. There are eerie things going on at The Arbors in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Architect Jordan Blanchard is joined by his friend Callie and Landry Drake to learn the secrets of a domineering matriarch whose two husbands died in bizarre ways. They explore the house as someone watches from a hidden place high above. The Nursery, the third book in the series, will keep you up late at night wondering what’s behind the next door, what lies beyond the mirror and who hides and waits at The Arbors.
The Nursery by Bill Thompson is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary.
This is the third book in the series and I wasn’t aware of that when I started this but it did not hamper me one bit in reading this one. The author gives you little bits on the background as you go along so it was very easy to pick up on.
This is not your typical haunted house story. There is a nice ghost and malevolent ghost, hidden bodies, a child’s grave where one did not belong, and travels through a mirror to other dimensions. And that doesn’t even touch the real-life evil that’s stalking the family’s every move. This is a different type of ghost story.
I love the location settings and the whole premise behind this series of paranormal interweaved with the characters lives.
I want to say so much more but I don’t want to give anything away. This book has so much going for it and I am definitely getting the previous books and following this author. This book had me right from the start and I hope there are more to come in this series.
The Nursery by Bill Thompson is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary.
This is the third book in the series and I wasn’t aware of that when I started this but it did not hamper me one bit in reading this one. The author gives you little bits on the background as you go along so it was very easy to pick up on.
This is not your typical haunted house story. There is a nice ghost and malevolent ghost, hidden bodies, a child’s grave where one did not belong, and travels through a mirror to other dimensions. And that doesn’t even touch the real-life evil that’s stalking the family’s every move. This is a different type of ghost story.
I love the location settings and the whole premise behind this series of paranormal interweaved with the characters lives.
I want to say so much more but I don’t want to give anything away. This book has so much going for it and I am definitely getting the previous books and following this author. This book had me right from the start and I hope there are more to come in this series.
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2332 KP) rated The Chocolate Shark Shenanigans in Books
Nov 7, 2019
Lee Must Solve a Flipping Murder
Much to Lee Woodyard’s dismay, her husband, Joe, and her uncle, Hogan, have bought the house next to Lee and Joe. They intended to flip it, but Lee is nervous about it. It doesn’t help when she and a plumber find a gun while checking the pipes in the basement. When Lee and Hogan go back to take a second look at the basement, they find a dead body. Can Lee figure out what is going on?
It has been a couple of years since we last got to visit Lee and the rest of the gang, and I was thrilled to be able to spend a little more time with them. As usual, the friends in Lee’s life are given cameos, but Lee, Joe, and the other couple of main characters more than make up for this. Not to mention, the new characters that help compel us into the story. Speaking of which, I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. The story is filled with twists and turns. The ending is a bit rushed, but it does tie everything major up. The book is on the shorter side, but by eliminating sub-plots, it still presents a full mystery that will leave you hungry for more. Speaking of which, the descriptions of chocolate made my mouth water, and the chocolate trivia sprinkled along the way is fun as always. We even get a recipe at the end of the book. Fans old and new will be glad they picked up this book.
It has been a couple of years since we last got to visit Lee and the rest of the gang, and I was thrilled to be able to spend a little more time with them. As usual, the friends in Lee’s life are given cameos, but Lee, Joe, and the other couple of main characters more than make up for this. Not to mention, the new characters that help compel us into the story. Speaking of which, I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. The story is filled with twists and turns. The ending is a bit rushed, but it does tie everything major up. The book is on the shorter side, but by eliminating sub-plots, it still presents a full mystery that will leave you hungry for more. Speaking of which, the descriptions of chocolate made my mouth water, and the chocolate trivia sprinkled along the way is fun as always. We even get a recipe at the end of the book. Fans old and new will be glad they picked up this book.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2332 KP) rated Bone Canyon in Books
Feb 6, 2021
Burning Need to Solve a Cold Case
A recent wildfire in the Santa Monica mountains has had a surprising side effect. The bodies of several people dead for many years have started to be found since the brush that’s been hiding them is no longer around. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Detective Eve Ronin and her partner, Duncan Pavone, have landed the most recent one of these cold cases. Their case proves to be complicated when they identify the body as that of a twenty-something who vanished several years before. As they begin to investigate, they make several startling discoveries. What exactly lead to her murder?
I enjoyed the first book in this series, and I wasn’t disappointed with this one in the slightest. Part of the fun is learning the twists of the case as they unfold, and then watching Eve try to make sense of it all. There is plenty of action on the way to a wonderful climax. Eve is a strong main character, and I enjoyed getting to know her better here. I did feel like a few of the supporting players could be stronger, but maybe that was my reaction to their poor attitudes which aren’t fully explained. While the overall tone of the book is serious, as it should be given the case, there are some very fun moments, most of them coming at the expense of Hollywood. This isn’t one of my typical cozies, so there is language, sex, and violence; be prepared before you pick up the book. I’m glad I picked up this fast paced, twisty mystery.
I enjoyed the first book in this series, and I wasn’t disappointed with this one in the slightest. Part of the fun is learning the twists of the case as they unfold, and then watching Eve try to make sense of it all. There is plenty of action on the way to a wonderful climax. Eve is a strong main character, and I enjoyed getting to know her better here. I did feel like a few of the supporting players could be stronger, but maybe that was my reaction to their poor attitudes which aren’t fully explained. While the overall tone of the book is serious, as it should be given the case, there are some very fun moments, most of them coming at the expense of Hollywood. This isn’t one of my typical cozies, so there is language, sex, and violence; be prepared before you pick up the book. I’m glad I picked up this fast paced, twisty mystery.